Despite a rainy Election Day Tuesday, voter turnout was good for the mayor and Board of Aldermen races.

Supporters of New Bern mayoral and Board of Aldermen candidates huddled under umbrellas Tuesday in front of city precincts all day hoping to try to sway last-minute voters.

Pete Azzole, with the Craven County Board of Elections, said that, even with the rain, people were out voting.

By 2 p.m., 1,496 votes were cast for candidates, and the total turnout, including early and absentee voting on Tuesday was at least 20 percent greater than the municipal election in 2009, Azzole said. By the end of the day Tuesday, there could be a 25 to 26 percent increase in turnout compared to the last election, he said.

The only drawback during Election Day was people who still were not sure where to vote.

“We’ve had many people calling and walking in to see where to go,” Azzole said.

The Board of Elections sent out cards in August telling people affected by ward boundary changes what their precincts are, Azzole said.

Although voter turnout was good, some precincts were not seeing any lines of people.

Vinny Michaud, precinct judge at the George Street Senior Center poll, said voters were just drifting in.

“There have been no lines,” Michaud said. “It’s been back up by about six people at the most.”

Pam Woods, an election official at the George Street precinct, agreed.

“There’s been a steady trickle,” she said.

Woods said at 2:15 p.m., 180 people had voted at the precinct.

Michaud said the number of voters might pick up at the end of the work day. Polls are open until 7:30 p.m.

“You figure everybody, is waiting for the last day to vote,” Michaud said. “But you don’t ever know. Maybe it was the early voting. Maybe it’s the rain.”

There were 2,676 votes cast during early voting, which was more than double what it was in 2009, Michaud said.

Debra Carmon was outside the polling place, beside sidewalk, sitting in a chair under an umbrella. She held a sign supporting Tharesa Lee, a candidate for mayor.

Carmon said she did not know what to expect coming out on a rainy Election Day.

“No one has come up to me,” she said. “Everyone just walks by and look at the sign and smile.”

Not far away, Alderman Dana Outlaw, running for mayor, was standing under an umbrella with a hand full of campaign brochures, doing some last-minute stumping for anyone who walked up.

Outlaw, whose daughters and son were at other polling sites helping support him, said he was disappointed with the weather and the turnout.

“I was expecting about 7,000 voters,” he said. “I’m hoping for a good, heavy turnout later in the afternoon.”

Besides Outlaw all of the mayoral candidates, Sabrina Bengel, Denny Bucher, Tharsea Lee, Barbara Lee and Edwin Vargas also visited the George Street precinct during the day and then moved on to other polling places.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at eddie.fitzgerald@newbernsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.